Chapter 300: Challenging the Sect

There was no doubt. This young man was Lin Xiao. He had departed from Jinghai at dawn and finally arrived at the Golden Claw Sect’s headquarters.

“Challenge our sect?”

The disciples of the Golden Claw Sect were particularly sensitive to these words today. Instantly, their expressions turned fierce.

“Kid, what did you just say? If you’ve got the guts, say it again.”

One of the disciples stepped forward, his face dark with hostility.

Lin Xiao did not respond. Instead, he took a step forward, walking straight toward the entrance of the martial hall.

But before he could take more than a few steps, the disciples surrounded him, blocking his path. They did not immediately strike, but their fists clenched, eyes gleaming with amusement and menace.

“Did I hear that right? What did he just say?” one of the disciples pretended to ask in confusion.

“You heard correctly. He said he came to challenge our sect,” another disciple exaggerated his reaction, his eyes wide in mock disbelief.

“This weak-looking brat thinks he can challenge us?”

“Damn, I was worried for a second. I thought he might be that so-called expert who defeated Senior Uncle Duan. But now that I see him up close, there’s no way. He doesn’t have an ounce of a master’s aura.”

“Exactly! If that real expert came, I might hesitate. But this guy? I bet I could crush him with just two fingers.”

“Hahahaha!”

The entire crowd burst into laughter, roaring as if they had just heard the greatest joke of their lives. Some even laughed so hard that tears welled up in their eyes.

To them, Lin Xiao was nothing.

“Kid, since you’ve provided us with such a great joke, we’ll be generous and let you go. Now get lost.”

After the laughter died down, a bear-like disciple strode forward, raising his arm for a slap.

“You think you can challenge the Golden Claw Sect?”

He fully expected his slap to send Lin Xiao sprawling.

However, just as his hand neared Lin Xiao’s face, his wrist was caught mid-air. Lin Xiao’s grip was like an iron shackle, clamping down painfully on the disciple’s wrist.

“Let go!”

The disciple struggled, his muscles bulging as veins writhed beneath his skin like snakes.

Among the disciples, he was renowned for his immense strength. His resistance alone packed the force of several hundred pounds, enough to snap a chain in two. Yet, no matter how hard he pulled, Lin Xiao’s grip did not budge.

Not even slightly.

Realizing something was wrong, the other disciples’ expressions changed. But before they could react—

Lin Xiao let go.

Caught off guard, the disciple fell backward, landing on his rear.

The moment he hit the ground, his face flushed red with humiliation. He quickly scrambled to his feet, about to charge at Lin Xiao again.

But then he felt it.

A burning pain seared through his wrist. Looking down, his eyes widened in horror.

A deep red imprint of Lin Xiao’s fingers had sunk into his flesh, forming an unnervingly clear handprint on his thick forearm.

The strength behind that grip was immense. The disciple’s body froze mid-charge. His eyes flickered with uncertainty, anger still present but now mixed with undeniable fear.

Lin Xiao didn’t spare him a glance. He simply continued walking forward.

“Stop!”

Two more taller, stronger disciples lunged at him, each grabbing one of his shoulders.

Their mockery disappeared. It was replaced by grim determination. They were arrogant, but not stupid. They had underestimated him once. After what just happened, they weren’t about to make that mistake again.

Lin Xiao didn’t stop moving.

“I advise you not to get in my way.”

His tone was calm, but the warning was clear.

“Hah! You think you’re somebody special?”

The two disciples sneered. They tightened their grip and pushed with full force, trying to shove Lin Xiao aside.

But Lin Xiao did not move. He kept walking forward. Step by step.

The two disciples exchanged glances, their expressions shifting. They had poured their strength into pushing him aside—yet Lin Xiao’s body felt like an unshakable mountain. It was like trying to move a mountain with bare hands. It was impossible.

They clenched their teeth, beads of sweat forming as they strained against him, but Lin Xiao still advanced steadily.

“What the hell is this?!”

They were overwhelmed—their arms trembling from the exertion.

The other disciples, who had been watching with sneers, stiffened.

Something was wrong.

Their mockery faded completely. Their amusement vanished. They had laughed at him.

But now, they weren’t so sure.

“Could he be… the one who killed Uncle Jiang and defeated Senior Brother Duan?”

The thought struck them all at once.

“No! No way! He’s too young! Look at him, he’s around our age! There’s no way he defeated Senior Brother Duan!”

Despite their reasoning, they couldn’t deny what they were seeing.

Lin Xiao reached the entrance.

The two disciples still held onto him, their faces drenched in sweat. But their arms trembled violently, completely drained of strength.

Lin Xiao finally lost his patience. Without hesitation, he grabbed their arms and flung them aside.

The two disciples soared through the air and crashed onto the courtyard floor, their heads banging against the ground. Blood trickled down their faces.

They had been thrown like ragdolls.

Lin Xiao glanced down at them coldly.

“Foolish.”

Then, he bent his knees slightly and leaped.

The ground beneath him exploded, two deep footprints cratering the stone tiles.

With the recoil, Lin Xiao soared four meters into the air, level with the massive plaque above the entrance.

The disciples below paled.

“Wait… what is he doing?”

“No… no, no. He’s taking the plaque!”

Several disciples rushed forward, leaping to stop him.

But they were too late.

Lin Xiao grasped the enormous plaque, three meters long and one meter wide, and ripped it from its place. The mighty sign that bore the name “Golden Claw Sect” was torn down. And Lin Xiao landed effortlessly, the plaque resting against his shoulder.

“What the hell are you doing?”

The disciples went berserk. They screamed in fury, their veins bulging in rage.

“Put it back!”

But Lin Xiao remained calm. His icy gaze swept over them.

“Since this is a formal challenge, it should look like one. If I don’t smash your signboard, how can it be called a proper challenge?”